Knighthood/Cavalier combat question

Quinton

Hello all,

I am Quinton a Sentinel Cavalier. Currently I am trying to figure out how on earth I am to fight and am confused on a few things.

1) are jabs cutting and swings blunt?

2) the targeting skill in knighthood only works for jabs, must I use bashing strikes to afflict swing afflictions or is there another way to target swings?

3) is it better to use bashing and slashing strikes or targeted jabs?

4) are maneuvers best for higher level afflictions or lower level?

I am sure I will have many more later, and I know I should ask my guild these questions IC but the Sentinels are a rather small bunch. Thanks for the help.

Ushaara

We'll catch each other around eventually, but to answer your questions...

1) For Cavalier, yes, jabs are cutting damage type and swings are blunt damage type. Cavalier is the only warrior specialization with access to both cutting/blunt types. This difference can also make wounding your target a bit easier, if their robes/armour are skewed in favour of cutting protection over blunt protection say.

2) Cavaliers have a power swing 'Sunder' that does more wounding and can be aimed at a specific bodypart. All the other swing types you should be using to land afflictions are listed in AB KNIGHTHOOD BASHING, eg. SMITE DOWN <target> will hit either your opponent's head or chest.

3) For hunting, jabs for things weak to cutting, swings for things weak to blunt. Otherwise a lot depends on what you are trying to do. If you AB CAVALIER IMPALE as an example, you will see that it needs a jab type action, so you will need to use strike (or cleave) to land it.

4) Maneuvers are useful when you want to exclude afflictions from the potential ones you can afflict with, but are no means necessary. Like say, you might prefer to give an OpenChest wound (Medium wounding) which stuns and needs a herb cure, rather than JaggedWound on chest (Heavy wounding) which just causes bleeding. Since JaggedWound has the higher wound threshold, if the roll to determine what affliction lands would put you in the 'heavy' bracket, without a maneuver that's what you would hit your target with. With a maneuver, you can exclude JaggedWound and ensure you land OpenChest instead. Have a read of CLHELP MANEUVERS in the Matrix Legion clan, and if anything is unclear, can message me.

Quinton

@Ushaara:

Thank you for the quick response. One thing that is still not clear, if I want to afflict a swing affliction I will have to use the bashing maneuvers (i.e. smite down) thus making the limb and affliction fairly random unlike attacks that take jabs which specific limbs can be targeted?

Thanks again

Update:

after reading through the Matrix Legions files are both slashing and bashing maneuvers swing attacks as the file says?

Shedrin

Quinton said:

@Ushaara:

Thank you for the quick response. One thing that is still not clear, if I want to afflict a swing affliction I will have to use the bashing maneuvers (i.e. smite down) thus making the limb and affliction fairly random unlike attacks that take jabs which specific limbs can be targeted?

Thanks again

Update:

after reading through the Matrix Legions files are both slashing and bashing maneuvers swing attacks as the file says?

Yes. Swing afflictions are generally but not always more powerful than Jab afflictions, so that's the tradeoff.

Bashing is for Cavaliers and Bonecrushers. Slashing is for Pureblades, Blademasters and Axelords. It's basically just a slightly different flavour.

Ushaara

It's just part of Lusternia's warrior design I'm afraid and partly how they are balanced. Jab actions can be targeted and swing actions have a bit less reliability, but usually can deliver the 'big affs,' like the ones you need to land a Skewer.

The rng nature can be frustrating at times as the affliction rng roll is separate to the where you hit roll, but it's not so bad once you're used to it. Warrior does take a bit of getting used to, and lots of practice, but it is a fun spec to play!

Quinton

Thank you both